What is it that you want to become? Would you like to become a great speaker? Perhaps you would like to become effective at praying. Maybe leadership is your desire or possibly a passion for a particular ministry. Whether in the church or in the secular realm, the process is the same. It always begins with the same step; the first step.

A person does not begin a career at the pinnacle, but rather at the base. The base is where the lessons are learned and the foundation is built for a successful assent both in quality and quantity of experience. A preacher generally doesn't give an effective sermon in front of the full congregation as the first step of his career. There is education and possibly an internship before taking over the regular pulpit duties. A ministry leader generally has years of related experience before taking the reigns. An evangelist generally becomes adept at individual witnessing before talking to groups. There are always preliminary steps that lead to the top while building upon the experiences and adding to the level of confidence of the individual. Praying effectively is not any different in this regard.

The proverbial "step of faith" is essential to the journey. The step of faith is an obedience to the call placed upon someone by the Holy Spirit. That quiet voice that nudges and inspires someone to step out of their comfort zone and take a bit of a risk. Our job is to respond in a positive way to that call, thus positioning ourselves to receive the blessing of God in the joy and peace that only He can provide. We can take that first step in our own strength and even reach a certain level of "success", but without God in the activity the reward will not be the same. The point is, we need to take that first step when the Holy Spirit nudges us to do so. We will generally not be forced to do so, likewise, we will not be forced to receive the blessing. Obedience to the Holy Spirit is our duty as a follower of Christ. It is cute to do the whole WWJD thing, but how about if we actually do it. Consider these two verses:

John 5:19-20 "Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, 'Truly, truly, I  say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.'"

John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."

While the context of these verses differ from one another, the point we should observe is that Jesus was predicating His actions and judgment upon the leading of the Father. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us with the expectation that we would respond with positive actions. We tend to look at these situations as though we have a choice as to whether we will be obedient or not. The correct thinking is that we are expected to be obedient which leaves the only question, are we willing to be disobedient? Willing disobedience to the One we call Lord begs the question, is Jesus Christ really our Lord?

When we are prompted to pray, we need to do so in a timely fashion, if not immediately. When we are nudged by the Holy Spirit to begin attending a corporate prayer meeting, we should do so in obedience. When we are inspired to show hospitality by opening our residence to host a prayer time, we should respond accordingly to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Those who pray effectively did not begin with that reputation. They started from the beginning by responding to the call that the Holy Spirit placed upon their hearts. Those who pray in public aren't necessarily those who are bold enough to take on any challenge. More likely than not they followed the sequence of silently attending a prayer gathering, than quietly praying followed by praying out loud in a small group. As confidence and experience grew, they were able to more effectively follow the call of God upon their lives. Will we do likewise or will we choose willful disobedience? These choices reveal who we really are in Christ, professors or possessors of the new life in Christ Jesus. What is it that you want to become? Are you willing to be obedient to the call to take that first step?